REPUBLIKA SRPSKA CONSTITUTION - PROOF OF STATE-BUILDING CAPACITY OF SERB PEOPLE IN BiH

BANJA LUKA, FEBRUARY 25 /SRNA/ - The adoption of the Constitution of Republika Srpska 34 years ago was the result of the political determination and foresight of those who enacted it, and it is also proof of the state-building capacity of the Serb people in BiH, Srđan Mazalica, head of the SNSD Caucus in the Republika Srpska National Assembly, told SRNA.

Mazalica emphasized that at the time there was an awareness that only through their own state could Serbs preserve their national being, as well as their very lives, and that the 1992 Constitution of Republika Srpska was the result of the understanding that a state can be built only based on a constitution, laws, and other regulations, rather than on chaos, violence, and lawlessness. “That Constitution survived the Dayton Peace Agreement and, although it was later amended multiple times, it is proof that Republika Srpska entered Dayton with its own statehood and constitutional order within BiH as a confederal unit, rather than a new state of BiH being formed above the entities, including Republika Srpska,” said Mazalica. He added that this Constitution is harmonized with the Constitution of BiH and is part of BiH’s constitutional and legal system, and that it represents recognition not only of Republika Srpska, but also of the reasons and circumstances under which it was adopted, thereby ensuring it an appropriate degree of legitimacy. “The Constitution was adopted by the elected representatives of the citizens, while the Constitution of BiH is part of an international peace agreement. This makes our Constitution superior in terms of legitimacy, as it reflects the will of the people,” Mazalica said. The first Constitution of Republika Srpska was proclaimed on February 28, 1992, and is one of the most significant constitutive acts that formed the basis for the creation of Srpska.